TABLE 1.
Individual and Institutional Characteristics of Ischemic Stroke Patients by Attending Specialty
| Characteristic | Neurologist (n=16,287) | Generalist (n=10,638) | Institutional (n=113) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Median | (10th – 90th percentile) | |||
| Age (years, mean (SD)) | 66.2 (14.7) | 69.3 (15.2) | 67.7 | (62.1–74.8) |
| Female, no. (%) | 8291 (51) | 5904 (56) | 54% | (46–67%) |
| Ethnicity | ||||
| African-American, no. (%) | 4516 (28) | 3335 (31) | 19% | (0–71%) |
| Asian-American, no. (%) | 570 (4) | 201 (2) | 0.7% | (0–8%) |
| Hispanic, no. (%) | 906 (6) | 458 (4) | 0.7% | (0–16%) |
| Native American, Eskimo, no. (%) | 48 (0) | 21 (0) | 0% | (0–1%) |
| White, no. (%) | 9012 (55) | 5851 (55) | 65% | (10–95%) |
| Other ethnicity, no. (%) | 398 (2) | 157 (1) | 0.3% | (0–4%) |
| Unknown, no. (%) | 837 (5) | 615 (6) | 0.1% | (0–9%) |
| Co-morbid illness severity score*, median (inter-quartile range) | 1 (0–1) | 1 (0–1) | 0.83 | (0.65–0.95) |
| Treatment and Outcome | ||||
| tPA administered, no. (%)† | 132 (3) | 51 (2) | 1.9% | (0.6–6.5%) |
| In-hospital deaths, no. (%) | 755 (5) | 1005 (9) | 6.1% | (3–10%) |
| Discharges to home, no. (%) | 9504 (59) | 5235 (49) | 52% | (38–72%) |
| Length of Stay (days, mean (SD)) | 6.6 (7.2) | 7.9 (9.9) | 6.6 | (4.2–10.0) |
| Total Charges | $16,600 ($20,500) | $18,700 ($26,300) | $15,000 | ($9000–$30,000) |
*
Co-morbid illness severity score range is 0 to 4. Zero represents no substantial co-morbid illness; 4 is catastrophic co-morbid illness.
†
Based on 52 institutions ever coding tPA use for ischemic stroke in 1999. Neurologists, n=4857; generalists, n=3351.